Gorgis
by Nangbaby
Summary: It's a warm, peaceful day in Paris when Hawk Moth akumatizes an old woman into a hideous monster. Now, faced with an opponent she cannot look at, can Ladybug defeat her foe and save the children of Paris from being frozen by a monstrous glare?
1. Chapter 1

Marinette smiled as a breeze lifted the humid, warm air from her nostrils. The Trocadéro was busy today with people sauntering up and down its stairs and walkways as beads of sweat seeped onto their brows. However, Alya was not one of those bothered by the heat. She lined up her flat phone with an imaginary axis to find the perfect spot. With ease, pointed the camera lens at her subject, an older woman surrounded by children.

Marinette had known this woman well, but framed by Alya's phone, she seemed not only to be a stranger but more amazing than in real life. With a viridian beret on a day as humid as this one, she was also unaffected by the heat, wearing a long, matching green skirt, a blue sweater, and a white shirt. It was with the same practiced focus that Alya had filmed Ladybug, making her subject feel as though she were the center of her own story. It was moments like these that Marinette could imagine how her identity had stayed a secret for so long with her best friend's photography. The older babysitter on the screen was star in her own right, no longer a normal human being.

Alya effortlessly readjusted the phone slightly and switched the view to selfie mode, so Alya's face was front and center on the screen. With a quick tap of the image, the "Live" notification popped up and pulsated few times.

"Welcome to this latest edition of the Ladyblog Livestream," Alya greeted. "How's everybody doing today?"

Hearts, emojis, and text messages burst onto the screen with a cavalcade of excitement.

"I have my BFF Marinette here with me!" Alya added. Infected by the energy of her followers, she pulled Marinette close so that Marinette was in the shot. Marinette grimaced and waved awkwardly into the direction of the phone, and Alya gave her a gentle elbow poke to loosen her up.

"Hi," Marinette said. In response, Alya began to read some of the comments that appeared.

"VillaNessie says, 'She has her hair just like Ladybug.'" Alya chuckled. "That's because we're all fans of Ladybug here at the Ladyblog. Of course, since VillaNessie is one of my featured supporters, maybe she's onto something?"

Marinette continued to wave her hand in stilted swipes as her eyes parsed the comments, and Alya made a face of amusement before reading the next message aloud.

"Mysterious1412Face asks, 'Where's Rena Rouge?' If I see her I'll tell her you asked about her." Alya paused before reading his next comment. "'I miss her so much. Please send her my love.' Okay. Down, boy."

Marinette silently sighed in relief that she was no longer the spectacle, reserving her actual sigh for when the camera was no longer on her. Instead her nervous grin slid into a genuine, sly smirk. It was Alya's turn to have to deal with a dual identity she could not share. Instead, Alya changed the subject without missing a beat.

"I'm here to bring you a special update for the 'Every Day is Heroes Day' campaign," Alya announced as she double tapped the image of herself. Marinette felt lighter than air as the screen now showed the woman from before. Aside from the sole commenter's remark, no one had associated her with Ladybug, or even recognized her for being the 'Adrien fangirl' from "Fill My Shoes." Being off-camera would help people forget about her, although as the names appeared and disappeared from the chat, unease tickled her neck and shoulders.

Marinette followed Alya as the blogger walked over to the elder and the children surrounding her. The youngsters ranged in ages, from the infant August in his stroller to children who were closer to the age of ten than being born. Ella, Etta, and Manon were also in the gathering of children and Marinette wordlessly noted the craftiness of Alya of making sure three of their most frequent charges were now promoting her blog.

"We are here with our latest hero," Alya continued as she approached them. "This is Miss Minnie Bouclier. She's an excellent babysitter and a personal inspiration to me based on how well she takes care of all these kids. She serves as a reminder that you can never be too young or too old to be a hero."

Alya stopped walking and all the kids turned to the phone waved and cheered. However, Miss Bouclier did not respond to either Alya's approach or the crowd's shift in focus.

"Miss Bouclier," Alya called, "you're on the Ladyblog!"

"Oh, I am?" Miss Bouclier asked with a jump. She gave a wave as well, slower in intensity than those of the children.

"Yes, you are. We just wanted to thank you for your continued kindness to all of Parisian young ones."

"It's truly my pleasure. I never had children of my own, so I want to make sure all the kids I encounter are happy and safe."

Alya let the camera shot linger on Miss Bouclier and her young companions before double-tapping the phone again to show her face.

"Thank you all for joining the Ladyblog Livestream, and remember...stay connected." The phone screen went back to the application and Alya waved in front of it to make sure it was no longer broadcasting. "And we're off!"

"That one fan really likes Rena Rouge," Marinette remarked as the two began to close in again on Miss Bouclier and her audience.

"He's a newer fan," Alya explained, "but he's also a big patron so I'm trying to make sure I get a little Rena Rouge content for him. Of course, it's hard when she's not around all the time like Ladybug is."

Marinette bit the corner of her tongue. She wanted Alya to be a full-time superhero alongside her so badly, and remarks like this nipped at her self-control. She quickly switched her thoughts to the other, new worry that occupied her.

"What if some of these fans don't mean well?" Marinette asked. "A lot of those names I saw, 'Ghoulmandise,' 'Steel Maiden,' 'Lady Fang,' almost sound villainous."

"Hello? Villainsona contest!" Alya crossed her arms. "Don't tell me you haven't been keeping up with the blog."

"Well..." Marinette had viewed Alya's updates as a necessity, but the side content and fan events escaped her attention.

"I understand. With Kitty Section, helping your parents, school, and whatever secret, overcomplicated plot you cooked up to capture Adrien's heart, you've fallen behind."

Marinette looked to her open purse and the blue eyes of the kwami inside it, fully aware the reason why she couldn't keep up with the blog was that she was too busy providing the actual content for it.

"Look," Alya continued as she put the phone in her purse. "I know you're worried. But think about it, if you wanted to meet Ladybug, one of the best ways of doing so is to get akumatized."

Marinette relented as the two of them were now flanking Miss Bouclier, drawn to her like iron filings to a magnet. Her crowd of children did not mind the teenagers' presence.

"Children, do you want me to finish the story of Perseus and Medusa?" Miss Bouclier asked.

"I know how it goes!" Manon butted in, half jumping from her seat. "Perseus snuck up on her, but she saw him and fell in love with him and they all lived happily ever after!" Miss Bouclier's age-shrunken eyes widened with childlike amazement.

"That's a great story, Manon!"

"That's not how it goes!" cried Etta, crossing her arms.

"Yeah," added Ella. "Perseus beats the monster. He's a hero just like Ladybug."

"But that's not fair to Medusa," Manon protested.

"Children," Miss Bouclier said, "I guess we just have to put it to a vote. All in favor of Medusa getting a happy ending?"

Manon raised her hand, as did several other kids. Miss Bouclier counted their votes by pointing her fingers at each one. However, she did not notice that the carriage beside her started to roll away.

"All in favor of Perseus slaying Medusa?" she asked.

She counted the hands in the same, measured manner. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an absence and immediately stopped counting as the charge that had been stationed beside her had vanished.

"August!" Miss Bouclier screamed.

She looked to the left and to the right. After precious seconds, she found the stroller rolling away from her. The wheels of the carriage spun closer towards edge of the pavement, ready to drop into the street.

Marinette, having closed the distance in a dash, grabbed the runaway stroller before it could descend there.

August cackled with delight. Marinette exhaled heavily as she pushed the stroller back to the gathering.

"Here you go," she announced. Marinette rested her foot against the stroller, preventing it from rolling away.

"Why...y-ye-es," Miss Bouclier stammered. "Thank you."

"It's okay," Alya reassured. "Since it seems to be a tie, I want to hear the rest of the story now."

"Now where was I? I think I'm going to have to start from the beginning all over again."

"Aw..." all of the children moaned. Her cool composure and age-cracked voice obscured the shivers sent down her spine, and she pushed past the sharp pains of fear that stabbed at her heart.

* * *

The sun's rays cut through the darkness as Hawk Moth opened the sunroof of the atrium. His coterie of butterflies fluttered as the light hit them.

"What's this?" he asked himself. "I sense an emotion, a strong fear of being unable to protect those entrusted to her care." A butterfly rested in his palm. He smiled and wrapped the butterfly between the palms of his hands, imbuing it with dark energy. He opened his hands, revealing a black butterfly charged with energy.

The butterfly shot into the air, as Hawk Moth twirled his cane. He struck the ground with the stick in a flourish of emphasis.

"Go," he ordered. "my little akuma, and evilize her!"

The butterfly passed through the window like thread through the eye of a needle, ready to bind its target with an invisible string of evil.

* * *

The heat only intensified in the Trocadéro as Miss Bouclier spoke again. This time, her youthful audience was bored and drowsy, and the elder woman knew it. Her eyes slid towards Alya and Marinette, the only two still genuinely interested in her story.

A black speck in the sky swiftly sent an alarm of panic to Marinette. Marintette tapped Alya, breaking her concentration and pointed upward.

"You said the best way to meet Ladybug is to get akumatized?" Marinette asked. "It looks like somebody is going to get their wish."

Alya quickly spotted the speck, which was now growing into the telltale shape of a butterfly. It closed in on their crowd.

"We have to stop the akuma," Alya declared.

"Yeah, but we need a plan." Marinette's memory of Miss Bustier's akumatization flashed in her head. "If that butterfly touches one of our objects, and we're not thinking positively we might get akumatized instead." Marinette took in a sharp breath of realization. "That's it! Positive thoughts!"

Quickly, Alya opened her purse and retrieved her phone. With a flick of her finger, she dragged the notification menu and her eyes enlarged with excitement.

"Hey kids," Alya called to the children, holding up her phone. "I just checked and André has just set up his ice cream stand a few blocks away."

"Ice cream!" the children all shouted.

"I want ice cream!" Ella begged.

"So come on guys," Alya urged, grabbing August's stroller in a quick move, "let's go!" Alya beckoned the crowd of kids, who scrambled and bounded to their feet. She pushed the baby carriage away, with the youngsters forming a train of little feet.

"But," Miss Bouclier protested, "children, you have to stay here!"

"We don't want to hear your boring story," Manon declared as she turned around. "We want ice cream!" The sting of betrayal pierced Miss Bouclier as Manon walked away. The girl who had just been her most enthusiastic listener had now been lured by the promise of sweet treats.

She dropped her head and in turn the butterfly dropped as well, fluttering in its descent toward the older woman.

"Alya," Marinette called, "the akuma's after her. Stay with the kids!"

Marinette turned back to Miss Bouclier and could see the hope drain from the woman's eyes. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around the elder.

"Miss Bouclier," she said with her hug. "It's going to be all right. We'll get you some ice cream, too."

"I love ice cream," she replied, "but the children..."

Marinette did not hear the rest of the sentence. She looked up and watched as the butterfly plummeted with flapping wings. She swatted at the akuma, but it avoided her arm and made a beeline for Miss Bouclier's beret and landed on it. The green beret turned black as the akuma merged with it.

"Greetings," announced the disembodied voice. "I am Hawk Moth."

"Don't listen to him," Marinette pleaded. "Whatever it is that's bothering you can be fixed."

Miss Bouclier groaned and moaned as if trying to throw off a mountain pressing into her back. Marinette grew hopeful at the sounds of resistance. Miss Bouclier wasn't going to accept the akuma without a fight, which meant that she could reject it.

"These children are under my watch," Miss Bouclier declared. "I will not hurt them."

"You won't," Hawk Moth responded. "What is to say someone else won't? The city of Paris is too dangerous for little ones to run about." He paused briefly to emphasize her new name. "Gorgis, I grant you the ability to stop those little ones in their tracks. Anyone in your sight will be under your protection, if you choose, and anyone who looks at you will also be frozen in place. All I ask for in return that you retrieve Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses. Do you accept?"

Miss Bouclier had stopped moaning. Marinette knew what it meant; Miss Bouclier had given in.

Marinette did not wait for the black mass to appear around the victim before the teenager broke out in a sprint. She had to find a place to transform, but in this crowded area she was surrounded by eyes. Soon she was surrounded by the feet and legs of others running in the same direction as her. Her curiosity bade her to turn her head to see what she was running from.

"Don't look back, Marinette!" Tikki yelled from her purse, interrupting her intention.

Marinette was too stunned to react with anything but obedience, but she threw glances at the fleeing crowd around her, many of whom had stopped fleeing. Those onlookers around her who had turned to face what Miss Bouclier had become were stone statues. The sight only pumped Marinette's legs faster through the Trocadéro.

"You children aren't going anywhere!" Gorgis hissed in a monstrous voice.

And as Marinette heard the declaration, she waited for the moment she could also be unseen so she undergo her own metamorphosis.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien watched the world speed by him backwards in the gray sedan. People blurred by him, engaged in their own daily activities. He wished the car would stop and the world around him would freeze. Then he could get out of the car, walk, and enjoy the day.

As if reacting to his wish, he felt himself being pushed forward as the car slowed, then stopped. A grunt came from the driver, Adrien's bodyguard, who opened the car door and stepped out the vehicle. Adrien climbed between the partition between the passenger and driver section and peered through the front windshield. He was unaware that Plagg had shared his curiosity, and the kwami phased upward through the ceiling of the car.

Adrien could not follow him, so his sight turned forward to what he could see. Right in front of the car was a marble statue of a little pigtailed girl. She was literally frozen in fear in the middle of her sprint, her skirt caught halfway between rising and falling. His eyes darted towards the left and he jumped slightly when he saw his bodyguard. The man was no longer alive, just a statue with a stricken countenance, and acting on curiosity, Adrien scrambled over to the open door to investigate.

"Get down!" warned Plagg after he plunged through the car ceiling.

Adrien squeezed himself to the bottom of the drivers' seat, curling himself as best he could beneath the steering wheel and in front of the pedals. Immediately, he regretted his action, as the obvious alternatives of either diving to the passenger seat or the back seat chided him with availability. Before he could rectify his mistake, a shadow passed by the windshield. The wave of darkness forced him into a tighter ball, and he closed his eyes.

The source of the shadow came nearer. Despite her size, her slither was a faint, near-silent accompaniment to her approach. He neither felt body heat nor smelled the predatory figure, which made it all the more tempting to Adrien to take a peek. Hiding made him uneasy. He'd rather try his luck fighting, but for now the only battle he had was trying to keep himself hidden with an open car door that made his presence obvious.

Seconds slowly ticked away as the creature sounds first stopped, then started again, but became more distant. Adrien unfurled himself from his hiding spot and crawled out the car and onto the ground. He took the chance to look around to catch a glimpse of the retreat of the monster. It was definitely not human with a mop head and serpentine tail in place of legs, but at least it was headed away from him.

He stood up and scanned his surroundings. His visual sweep lengthened in horror. The people who had been walking along the sides were now sessile replicas of themselves, some transfixed in noiseless screams while others preserved in blissfully unaware simulacra of their former selves.

He had gotten his wish after all. The car had stopped and the world had stopped.

"What was that?" Adrien asked.

"Just a Gorgon," Plagg answered. "You know, a terrible monster you can't look at directly, or else you turn to stone."

"Like Medusa." His stomach dropped when he realized the mop-like hairstyle she sported must have been snakes.

"Good thing we kwamis are immune or else you might have been a statue...again."

"I'm surprised she didn't see me. The door was wide open."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Plagg began to float away at a sluggish pace. "Maybe she just wasn't interested. And now with this peace and quiet, it's time to go on a Camembert raid."

"Not this time." Adrien extended his fist. "Plagg, claws out!"

The kwami spiraled into the ring on Adrien's finger. In a burst of energy Adrien was transformed into the obsidian-clad hero, Cat Noir. An alert caught his attention, and he pulled his baton from the small of his back. From the baton rose a back panel with a screen, and he read the message on it.

His lady needed him, and that was all he needed to start running towards her.

* * *

Ladybug peered over the corner of a building, her eyes parsing the landscape for her signs of partner. Behind her came the near-imperceptible footfalls, and she turned around to face the one she summoned.

"Cat Noir!" she exclaimed out of relief.

"I got your message," he replied. "So there's a new supervillain?"

"She calls herself Gorgis. She's after young children, but she's been turning every person in her path into stone statues."

"Just like Medusa..." He pressed one of his gloved fingers into his chin, as Ladybug's explanation took him back to his encounter with the creature a few minutes ago. He was simply too old for her to show interest him. At least that's what he _hoped_.

"Something on your mind?"

"If the villain is Medusa and that makes me Perseus," he covered quickly, "would that make you the Andromeda of my heart?"

Ladybug would have scolded him for his flirting had she been in another mood, but both her connection to the victim and the danger of the supervillain she became prevented Ladybug from rebuking him openly.

"No," she replied, "because unlike Perseus, we have an advantage against this enemy. We can spot her from the rooftops."

"That's fine for tracking her," he conceded, "but how are we going to fight her?"

"I don't know yet."

"Here's another thought." His eyes grew while Ladybug's mask scrunched slightly with annoyance. "Our kwamis are immune from this villain's powers. What if we de-transformed? That way our kwamis can be our lookouts until we get in position. Then we transform, attack her from behind, and cover her face. From there it's a win!"

"Nice try, kitty," Ladybug answered between chuckles, "but that would mean we'd have to reveal our identities to each other, since we wouldn't be able to communicate to coordinate an attack otherwise." Her words made Cat Noir hunch in disappointment.

"It was just a thought, bugaboo."

"Keep thoughts like those to yourself. Besides, I know your kwami can get out of hand without someone reining him in. We should be able stop Gorgis without destroying the entirety of Paris in case something goes wrong."

As soon as she stopped speaking, a soft sound like the release of air from a flat tire smacked their ears. They both looked around before hearing it again. It wasn't a hiss. It was a hush, and it was coming from an alley between the buildings.

Ladybug and Cat Noir ran atop the roofs before peeking down into the alley. There were three children standing behind a teenager in a plaid shirt. The teenage with red hair slid her thumb across her phone's surface as she held onto a stroller.

"Isn't that Alya," Cat Noir asked before adding, "that girl from the Ladyblog?"

"Nice catch," Ladybug replied.

Her words could have referred to his phrase had she known the truth. He had slipped by saying Alya's name so casually, although at least with the addition, he at least a fashioned a pretext for instantly recognizing her. Then again, she had given no heed to the familiarity. It must have been nice to have an adoring fan.

The thoughts were brushed aside as the two of them dropped into alley, and drawing the focus of all of the humans within it.

"Ladybug?" Alya asked.

"Ladybug!" Ella and Etta shouted together. "Cat Noir!"

"We're saved!" Manon shouted.

"Quiet!" Alya ordered in a curt whisper before returning her attention to the superheroes. "The monster went after the group of kids I was with. I was only able to save these ones. The rest were turned into statues."

"Thank you," Ladybug said. "You did your best. I know it's a long shot, but do you have any information we can use?"

"Actually, my fans did have some info."

"You mean that Medusa was a Gorgon," Cat Noir said, "a terrible monster you can't look at directly, or else you turn to stone?"

"Did you also know that anyone _she_ looked at could also be turned to stone, too?" Alya paused, knowing the answer to that question was in the negative. "They leave that part out of the story according to my monster specialists."

"So even if no one looks at her face directly, she can still freeze anyone by spotting them if she wants to." Cat Noir stifled a noise of dismay. Following and fighting Gorgis via reflections would be difficult, but doable. If this villain could immobilize them on sight without having to meet their gazes, their Miraculouses were as good as gone.

"Anything else?" Ladybug asked.

"I'm afraid it gets worse. Even after Medusa was defeated her head still had the power to turn people to stone, and get this! Her head was put on a shield as a protective symbol, the Aegis. In one of the shots I could get of her, this supervillain was carrying a shield." Alya swiftly swiped and tapped her phone to bring up the picture, then turned her phone to face Ladybug and Cat Noir. As she described, the supervillain wielded a rounded shield. Ladybug immediately grasped the akuma had transformed Miss Bouclier's beret into that buckler.

"So we can't look at her, we can't let her look at us, and her shield would protect her from anything we'd throw at her," Cat Noir summarized.

"This seems like this would be a perfect job for Rena Rouge," Alya announced as she withdrew her phone. "Her illusion powers could lure the villain into an enclosed space allowing Ladybug and Cat Noir to immobilize her and defeat her. Or maybe she could just conjure up an image of the supervillain to give her a taste of her own medicine."

"Actually, this would be a better job for _you_, Alya," Ladybug stated.

"Me?" She pointed at herself in incredulous awe. "But I'm not a superhero."

"You have a livestream. That could be our eyes and ears. If you set your phone camera to 'Selfie' the picture will be mirrored, so it'll be like looking at a reflection."

"Great idea!" Alya lifted her phone and began the preliminary swipes to prepare another stream. "Plus, since the resolution is lower and since you won't be able to make out her face if she's far enough away, it's totally safe! But how are you two going to follow along?"

"We can watch it from the blog itself." Ladybug and Cat Noir held up their tools. On the yo-yo and the baton were screens showing the blog's stream, which was offline. "This villain doesn't seem to be moving very fast or going very far. But with your help, we could see where she is from ground level, so we can stay out of her line of sight until the time is right."

"And I bet she would be looking for André's stand to intercept any children who made it there. Just one more thing to take care of." Alya crouched and spoke to Ella, Etta, and Manon. "I need the three of you to find somewhere safe to hide. Once you see the magic ladybugs swirling around, we can meet up at the Trocadéro."

"We're scared," Ella protested.

"Why can't we go with you and August?" Etta asked.

"Because August...is a very special boy who is important to our plan," Ladybug lied.

"Besides," Alya asked, "do any of you want to change his diaper?"

The three young girls made noises of disgust and scampered away. As soon as they made themselves scarce, Ladybug and Cat Noir departed from the scene, launching themselves into the air with their respective tools. Alya was alone with the stroller and her phone, which she pointed to her face.

"Welcome to a special edition of the Ladyblog!" Alya half-whispered, half shouted into the phone. "We're going to help Ladybug by broadcasting the movements of the latest supervillain. But we have to be careful because one false move and this broadcast will be over."

A comment appeared on the screen. Alya's heart jumped. Could Ladybug and Cat Noir have created burner accounts to interact with the chat?

"'Where's Rena Rouge?'" Alya read aloud before hanging her head. "_Really_?"


	3. Chapter 3

Ladybug and Cat Noir sprinted across rooftops of them dropped to tree-laden area, hiding inside the branches. Their eyes were glued to the Ladyblog, where Alya had spotted Gorgis and stayed a needful distance from her target. Given the noise of the wheels of the stroller and the occasional squeals from August, both of the superheroes were on pins and needles that she would have been spotted and turned into a statue.

Alya had been correct, as their target went to the location of André. The ice cream maker had set up shop in a promenade not far from the Trocadéro, an open area with no tall roofs. The arboreal border was the closest to anything resembling cover, and even in the fullness of the leaves, it was poor cover at best. None of the parties could afford to get any closer.

Through the livestream, they were able to see Gorgis more clearly, and more importantly, in motion. Her lower half was completely serpentine as she whipped her tail along the ground. Yet her upper half was humanoid and on her right -– or rather left, when accounting for the reflection - hand was a shield with an image of her own head on it. They were also able to see the people caught in her gaze suddenly stop and turn into solid white facsimiles of themselves. Those few who dared a sneak attack found their attacks intercepted by a manifesting barrier, and were made into statues as soon as she spotted them. The woman had writhing snakes for hair, although her face had not been changed as part of the akumatization aside from covered with scales. Even without her glare, it would have been hard to look at her directly.

Gorgis slid over to the ice cream stand, which was devoid of customers.

"Excuse me," she asked with her shield in front of her face. "May I have a cone, please?" She held the money in her free hand, then handed it to him.

"Why is such a beautiful woman such as you hiding herself?" André asked obliviously as he gave her a cone with three scoops. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she said, then stuck out her forked tongue and brought it to her mouth. Before she could put it in her mouth, a pulse of aversion hit her. Gorgis hissed at the ice cream, shuddered and threw both the ice cream and her buckler-covered arm down. André's face became a stone mask of terror that spread into his new stone body.

"Stop right there!" The voice was that of a familiar girl, and the eyelids of the onlookers were pushed away from their eyeballs. With grunts, and stumbling steps, a small carried a plastic framed mirror that was twice as big as she was.

It was Manon.

From separate angles, Ella and Etta emerged, each straining to push separate low-boy carts with full length mirrors strapped to them. All three of them were firmly behind their loot.

The girls had listened to the conversation and wanted to help.

"What are those three doing?" Alya asked aloud, continuing to film. She refused to let herself give into despair; those troublemakers may have had a plan that she couldn't fathom. Such was the power of a child's imagination.

_A mirrored shield_, Ladybug thought. The three children were slow and uneven in their approach, yet Gorgis made no attempt to flee or even evade them as they closed in on her. It was almost as if they had rooted her due to power of the mirrors.

Cat Noir tensed as if ready to pounce, but Ladybug grabbed his arm. To him this was the opening they needed, and they would be able to save the children while beating the villain thanks to their distraction. But Ladybug could not help but be pragmatic. Calling on her Lucky Charm would just reveal her position, and jumping in without a plan would make them as good as granite.

These children were doomed and there was nothing she could do about it.

"We have you now!" Manon declared. "How do you like the taste of your own medicine?"

"We can see you in the mirror, and you can see yourself," Ella claimed.

"And a reflection of a reflection is like looking at the real thing," Etta finished.

Gorgis stared at herself in the mirror, both the mirrored versions and the reversed versions of those reflections. For many seconds, she stopped when seeing her actual own face, and an expression of fear appeared on her face. The seconds elapse and her false expression was replaced with a genuine chuckle.

"That was very clever, children," Gorgis replied. "Not only did you listen to the story, but you learned from it how to work together. If I weren't protected, I might have been proud." The aegis on her arm glowed in response to her words. "But I wouldn't want you to get cut by glass, so please put those mirrors down before you get hurt."

Heat rose in the chests of Alya, Ladybug, and Cat Noir as all three forced themselves to remain still despite their legs begging them to act. Upon the failure of their plan Manon let the mirror fall and shatter. She tried to run, but as soon as she turned her back, Gorgis shot her a look that instantly stopped her.

Ella and Etta didn't last much longer, as both were too scared to run. Gorgis lifted the full-body mirrors from their panicked hands and they stared at her.

"Hide and seek is over," she said as the twins became statues. "I found you. None of you will be wandering off any more."

Gorgis snapped her head up at a helicopter that passed overhead.

"But if a reflection of a reflection is like looking at the real thing," she said to the three statues as though they were all living. "I can make sure all of Paris is safe." Gorgis slithered away slowly, back into the maze of the streets of Paris.

Ladybug wanted to swing over to Alya's position and give her the biggest, most reassuring hug, to tell her to not lose hope. As an only child, she would never know the pain of losing a sister, but her need to comfort Alya was too strong to ignore.

Instead she channeled her desire to comfort to determination. _Don't turn off the stream. We need it now more than ever._ Her thoughts did not reach the heart of Alya; she could only hope both of them would share the same, separate resolve.

"We'll stop her," Cat Noir said.

Ladybug accepted his words with a nod, but the events of the past few minutes replayed inside her head, and each iteration enhanced an itch inside of her.

"Something else is wrong," she said. "Miss Bouclier loves ice cream," Ladybug remarked. "That's why I thought it would help her avoid the akuma."

"You know her?" Cat Noir asked.

Ladybug swallowed hard and gagged. Saying "yes" was out of the question. As a fan of the Ladyblog, Cat Noir would have seen Marinette as part of the broadcast featuring her. Since Miss Bouclier was surrounded by children and Alya wasn't Ladybug, the only person who could have been there to attempt to prevent an akumatization would have been Marinette.

"For really-" Ladybug blurted. "I mean, not really. The incident was captured on the Ladyblog and I saw it. The victim was featured as part of the 'Every Day is Heroes Day' campaign." She didn't care that her tale would have normally invited more questions, or worse yet that tying herself to the actual filming of that specific livestream only made her more suspicious. Instead the next words from Cat Noir put the matter to bed.

"Of course!" he nervously replied, remembering his own falsehood. "I knew that from the Ladyblog."

They both bounded from the scene towards the streets where rooftops once became plentiful. Their hearts pounded in mutual mendacity, each hoping their own lies would remain undetected.

* * *

Nadja Chamack cast her eyes on her phone and watched the footage from the Ladyblog. Although a helicopter flew above the streets and was equipped with the camera crew, the video feeds provided by the phone gave her crew a better idea of where to set up for broadcast. There were several drones from the station, but all of them had mysteriously gone haywire whenever they neared this supervillain.

She heard a cue from a crew member, letting her know she was about to go onto the air. She stuffed the phone into her pocket and straightened up into her broadcasting pose.

"Don't be bemused," she began, "It's just the news. Nadja Chamack here... "

Her mind had already jumped ahead to the information she had memorized; very little of her report would be impromptu aside from showing the position of the monster.

In a flash, her mouth was frozen open, as was the rest of her body which was transmuted into stone. Her statue joined several others were in the area, including the camera operator. Gorgis approached the camera from the side, then slithered between Nadja's statue and the camera.

"Children of Paris," she addressed, "you will be safe right where you are. Don't move."

The sound of multiple petrifications crackled through the nearby buildings. In the vicinity a man dropped his toolbox with a clang. A fan fell out of the window with an extension cord attached. In the homes of millions of Parisians, everything went silent as the occupants that had even glanced at the screen were.

The pink neon butterfly mask appeared in front of Gorgis' face.

"Excellent work, Gorgis!" Hawk Moth said to her. "With much of Paris a city of stone, Ladybug and Cat Noir will have no choice but to come out of hiding to face you. One look and you will be able to take their Miraculouses."

Gorgis smiled with a satisfied grin. Hawk Moth had helped her make Paris safe and now it was time for her to return the favor.


	4. Chapter 4

Ladybug and Cat Noir jumped from rooftop to rooftop. They had fallen behind Gorgis. They had been forced to let her escape from the promenade with a head start, which was enough for even her relatively torpid pace to evade them. It was only with Alya's livestream that they were able to follow her, but mapping the ground position to their bird's eye view was more challenging than they anticipated.

It was the dings of plastic against stone which finally made the task easier.

The impacts were made by drones and sounds preceded sights of mechanical failure. One drone rocketed skyward, and others crashed into the sides of buildings. Ladybug and Cat Noir both realized that the pilots of those drones had been turned into statues and passed the malfunctioning flying machines. Their path led them to overlook an open square of people still not cognizant of the danger they were in.

The worst of the ignorant was Nadja Chamack. She and her crew had set up for broadcast. Gorgis passed the crowd to make a beeline for her, and flesh became stone in a spreading contagion. Within seconds, everyone, reporter, camera operator, and all were statues, and Gorgis faced the camera.

Ladybig and Cat Noir could feel the slight tremor that followed and then heard more sounds of lives interrupted. Breaking glass, dropped tools, and other sudden falls and thuds rang like bells. Through the windows Ladybug and Cat Noir could confirm that in place of many inhabitants were stone representations of people stricken by permanent paralysis.

"She just froze everyone who was watching," Cat Noir said, not believing his eyes and ears.

Ladybug felt her mind relive the moment where Gorgis had discarded the ice cream. The memory pressed into her consciousness like a thorn, and at once, it exploded like a pierced balloon, clearing her sinuses.

"Froze!" Ladybug shouted. "That's it. She's a snake, and reptiles can't regulate their temperatures the same way as humans can. Her body temperature - and body functions - is determined largely by her surroundings."

"That's why she recoiled from the ice cream," Cat Noir explained as he finally understood, "and why she let the girls surround her. Cold makes her slower and enough cold could bring her to a standstill."

"And look at where we are!" Ladybug pointed over the side of the building. Cat Noir poked his head over the edge. A smoke-like mist that rose from a door on the ground floor, with men carrying boxes from a truck to the door. In one case, the box had opened and a wave of fog spilled from the box inside.

"They're loading dry ice into the freezer," she stated.

"How are we going to get her to go in there?" Cat Noir asked.

"Simple. We lure her there, but we're going to need a hand from our favorite blogger."

"Just like old times," he commented.

The pair ran to the opposite wall of the building and dropped to ground in a slowed descent.

* * *

It took a lot to shake Alya from her bravery and determination, but this day managed to do just that.

Her sisters were statues. Manon, who had grown on her like a sister, was also a statue. And despite her pursuit of Gorgis, the foe had slipped out of sight. Less than a minute ago she had willingly shown herself on television, and Alya had seen the act from the corner of her camera. Yet, the use of selfie mode had come with a disadvantage. She could not zoom in or zoom out, so she had to guess where the supervillain had disappeared to when she left the limited camera range.

And despite just seeing Gorgis, Alya had guessed wrong, and now she was in an alley with August.

It was all she could do to keep on a brave face. Had she not been on the livestream, she might have let despair manifest, but the words from those in the chat raised her hopes.

_We're rooting for you!_

_Ladybug will make it okay._

The second message faded just as Ladybug and Cat Noir alighted behind her. Alya gasped at the sight of the two super heroes on her screen, mostly for show for her audience. Her phone screen was inundated with icons of all sorts the moment they appeared, and her courage returned to her again.

"Alya," Ladybug stated, "we have a plan. Can we borrow this stroller?"

"Of course." She set her phone down on the ground and unstrapped August from the baby carriage, then scooped both him and her phone up with a single bend. She wrapped her arms around the boy and cradled him, then steadied him with her left arm. Ladybug and Cat Noir ascended with the stroller, leaving Alya with a baby that began to fuss.

"No," Alya said, "August, don't cry."

The boy wailed all the more. She lifted her phone with her right hand, and saw the encouraging messages from the fans, only for the fuzzy representation of the supervillain she tracked to appear behind her.

"There you are, my youngest," Gorgis greeted the crying voice. Upon spotting Alya, the girl was instantly petrified, her stone form covering August and the livestream went dark.

* * *

On top of the roof, Ladybug and Cat Noir exchanged words to confirm the execution of their plan. Before it could be enacted, Ladybug glanced at her yo-yo, expecting to see Alya's face.

Instead the screen was blank. Ladybug looked over the edge and saw the nest of snakes atop Gorgis head inch closer to Alya, who was now a statue with her phone aloft.

"Al-!" Ladybug called as she readied the yo-yo to throw at Gorgis to avenge her friend. Cat Noir immediately covered her mouth and grabbed her arm.

"Remember the plan," he whispered. He released Ladybug and she nodded. They averted their eyes from the sight of Gorgis closing in on the crying baby.

"You are now safe," Gorgis said as she inched towards the stone form of Alya and the unseen, still wailing August. The yells of the infant only strengthened as Gorgis slowly whipped her body forward.

The sound of turning wheels stopped Gorgis. She turned around towards the street and saw the stroller speed by without anyone behind it.

"What?" she asked. Unknown to her, Cat Noir had dropped down from the roof and pushed the stroller past the alley. Before she could emerge from the side passage, he stopped it and pushed it again in an arc. The trajectory sent it into the next alley, past the truck and the workers. He quickly vaulted himself to the rooftop. By the time Gorgis exited the side street, all she saw was the stroller moving away her.

From their vantage point, Cat Noir and Ladybug watched the workers walk towards her with protective curiosity, only to become statues themselves. Gorgis barely noticed them as her eyes were fixed on the stroller.

"She's in the alley," Cat Noir said, "but as soon as she sees the stroller is empty, she's going to split."

"Not if I can help it!" Ladybug shouted before throwing her yo-yo to the air. "Lucky Charm!" The yo-yo spun around until it disappeared, and a red bottle covered with black spots fell into her hand. She opened the bottle and attached to the underside of the lid was a wand. She lifted the wand and blew on it and a line of bubbles came out of it.

"Is this a message to get a villain to fight a villain?" Cat Noir asked. "Then again, a bubble spray might be helpful if it can freeze an opponent. I saw it in an anime."

Ladybug half-listened to his commentary, as her eyes darted to each opening to find an object she could use. She saw a box of dry ice in the corner of the freezer. In a nearby apartment window, a large fish tank caught her eye. In another window, a roll of tape and an abandoned, unplugged electric drill were set beside an open toolbox. Finally, there was a dangling extension cord weighted by a window fan from a window furthest away.

"You're right, kitty!" she exclaimed.

"I am?" Cat Noir asked, then bowed in a mocking subservience. "Then how may I be of further service, milady?"

"A block of dry ice would be nice."

Cat Noir jumped from the roof and bounded between the buildings to slow his descent. He jumped into the freezer where the block of dry ice rested alongside a pair of safety gloves. Cat Noir forced the thick safety gloves over his own gloves. He picked up the steaming chunk of ice with two hands, and tried to balance it with one hand and nearly dropped it.

The ice was more unwieldy than he expected it to be. For "dry" ice it seemed to want to slide off on its own.

"Looks like I'm not going to be able to climb up with this," he said to himself. "Guess I'll have to improvise!"

He tapped his staff on the ground and extended it, launching both himself and the ice onto the rooftop. He landed with a thud and lost his hold on the ice. The block of ice split in two, but he quickly picked the pieces up.

At the same time, Ladybug put the bubble solution down. She swung to the open windows and grabbed the drill and tape, then returned to her former position. Without missing a beat the she swung to the window where the window fan dangled. She pulled the fan up by the cord, then unplugged both the fan and the cord. She wrapped the cord around her shoulder then jumped to the window with near the fish tank, which bubbled as she arrived. Climbing inside the apartment, she tapped the tank and confirmed it was plastic, startling the black and purple angelfish swimming inside it.

"Sorry, little guy," Ladybug said to the fish, "but I'm going to need this!" She grabbed a nearby cup and removed the tank lid, then reached into the water. She captured the angelfish, then set the cup down on the ledge. She unplugged the aquarium bubbler but did not detach it, then plugged the extension cord into the outlet and threw the other end out of the window, and watched as it reached the ground. It was long enough.

Ladybug placed the lid back on the tank then summoned all her strength to lift it She grimaced as she steadied it with one arm. She took a deep breath as the threw her yo-yo and swung with the tank towards the rooftop.

She landed with the full tank after taking a breath, she her yo-yo and lassoed the end of the extension cord, pulling it the top of the building. She anchored the end of the extension cord with her foot and retracted her yo-yo and wiped her brow. She was only two thirds of the way done and thankfully, Cat Noir had not returned with the dry ice yet.

Ladybug removed the tank lid again. She removed the air hose that was on the inside of the tank and pulled off the air stone. She shook off her wet hands and plugged the drill into the end of the extension cord, hoping that with her luck she would not get electrocuted. With the drill she bored a hole into the side of the plastic tank, above the water line. It was wide enough for her to thread the hose through, which she taped in place. The other end of the hose remained fixed to the air pump for the bubbler, and Ladybug taped the device to the top of the tank lid. She switched the extension cord to plug it into the pump, and it whirred. It was thin enough to remain comfortably above the water line, or at least she hoped.

By the time she had finished, Cat Noir had picked up the split block of dry ice.

"Set it in," she commanded. Cat Noir gently released the dry ice, then jumped back and threw off the safety gloves. Ladybug put the top on the tank, and held the hose with her left hand. With her right hand she lifted the bubble wand from the bottle and placed it in front of the end of the hose.

Cloudy bubbles rushed from the bubble wand. Weighted from the fog inside of them, they fell slowly. Fog also spilled outside from the seams where the tank top met the tank and dove towards the ground.

Gorgis closed in on the stroller when a shadow passed overhead. She looked up at bubbles descending like spheres of snow. She smiled at the sight, enchanted by the unnatural wonder. One of the bubbles neared her head. A snake coil struck it and a burst of fog manifested.

The bubbles flooded the air and surrounded her like a blizzard. Some landed near her, while others crashed against the buildings with each pop releasing a puff of fog. Gorgis frantically swatted the bubbles with her shield, releasing more cloudy vapors, while the serpents on their head bared their fangs and popped more bubbles. In moments the alley was full of both bubbles and fog, and with each disappearing bubble, the fog only thickened both around Gorgis and inside her mind.

"She's disoriented," Ladybug remarked.

"Trust me?" Cat Noir asked as he extended his left hand to Ladybug.

"Always!"

The two clasped hands, then Cat Noir extended his staff again vertically. He anchored it into the ground. He and Ladybug slid down the pole and into the river of fog. Ladybug found it hard to see herself, but she felt Cat Noir set her down on a crate that was across from the freezer door. She quickly climbed behind it.

"Wait here," he said before disappearing into the mist. His sight automatically changed to infrared, and the particles of fog became even more distracting for a split second, swirling little particles whirring in unpredictable patterns. His eyes adjusted to ignore the floating grains to focus on the white mass that resembled a torso, head , and arms. Gorgis flailed her arms in vain, unaware she was being watched.

"You might usually be the same temperature as your surroundings...but with night vision, you stick out like a sore thumb," he stated from several yards away.

Cat Noir swung in Gorgis' direction and his staff connected to a spot near her. The impact fizzled, as he expected, as a forcefield blocked the actual hit. Gorgis turned in his general direction, but could not make him out.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"Over here!" Ladybug called from behind the crate. As she yelled, Cat Noir jumped beside her, readying for the next phase of the plan.

Gorgis looked around, but could not discern a face or a figure through the mist. She pulled herself forward slowly, her body rocking from side to side. At last she was at the end of the alley, across from the door, right beside the crate where Ladybug hid behind. Unknown to her, she looked away from them and in the direction of her own downfall.

Four hands pressed into her back, forcing her body through the freezer door. Ladybug and Cat Noir quickly pulled the freezer door shut. Their ears earned a beating through a series of clangs and charges.

"Let's wait for her to cool off," Ladybug announced.

"Let me out!" Gorgis screamed. "The children of Paris are in danger!"

"From a couple of kids," Cat Noir countered, "we can definitely assure you the children of Paris will be fine."

The seconds folded into a minute, and the spots began to fade from Ladybug's earrings. Despite this, Ladybug remained calm, using her own timer as a watch. After a couple of spots disappeared, the two of them opened the freezer door.

They squinted out of cautiousness before letting their eyelids part. Gorgis had curled up like an abandoned rope cast on the ground without a care. Her body was as still as the statues she had created. Her face was buried as part of the spiral, with her shield sticking out on top of her in an attempt to stave off the cold.

"Cataclysm," Cat Noir whispered, as if not to wake the sleeping figure.

Black energy bubbled from the palm of his right hand. He rested his hand on the shield. It rotted then crumbled, leaving the scaled arm of Gorgis bare. A butterfly emerged from the rubble.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma," Ladybug chided, then threw her yo-yo at the butterfly. "Time to de-evilize!"

The yo-yo gobbled the black butterfly.

"Gotcha!" Ladybug yelled.

She retracted the yo-yo, then tapped it. The butterfly, now white, waved its wings and headed towards the light and out of the freezer, into the hazy daylight.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," Ladybug said, then took a breath. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Ladybug threw the bottle of bubble solution into the air, and blossomed into a burst of ladybugs that scattered and spread through the sky. The ladybugs swirled around each statue that had once been human in the city, then restored them to motility. The ladybugs also orbited the fish in the cup before switching the bag for its filled tank, and cleared the area of fog and gas. Ladybug and Cat Noir stood tall, side by side.

"Pound it!" they cried as their fists clashed in solidarity.

* * *

Hawk Moth growled in frustration as he felt the energy of the akuma dissolve. Yet another servant of his had failed, and he still did not have the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

He let his anger and disappointment give him hope as it nearly always had. Revenge would fuel him until he succeeded.

"The battle with Gorgis may have been pretty ugly," he said as the window to the world closed, "but the beauty is there's always a next time. Ladybug and Cat Noir, you may be pillars of the community for now but one day you will crumble into rubble."

* * *

Darkness swept over the humanoid snake and Miss Bouclier emerged from the receding shadow. Her light hair started to frost with miniature ice crystals. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to shiver.

The red and black figures went over to her and helped Miss Bouclier to her feet. Cat Noir gave her the restored beret and she quickly placed it atop her gray hair. The two heroes walked her out of the cold freezer and into the bright warm day. Once a few feet from the entrance to the freezer, she stopped, dusted off her skirt, and straightened her sweater, but rounded her shoulders even more than they normally were.

"I'm so sorry," the elder woman said.

"Don't worry," Ladybug counseled. "We've all have bad days. The point is to keep moving forward." Ladybug looked out of the corner of her eyes, then back to Miss Bouclier. "Besides, I have an idea on how to make sure those children remain safe in the future."

Miss Bouclier's ears opened as Ladybug spoke, and in that moment, she was the child listening to Ladybug's words, captivated by the speaker.

* * *

Trees and fences stood tall at the perimeter of the Place des Vosges, but people entered and exited the enclosure as freely as if there had been no barrier at all. Andre peddled his ice cream inside the park, attracting a steady influx of customer. Miss Bouclier sat on a bench with all of the children surrounding her. August's stroller rested against the bench, with the infant facing the woman.

The new meeting place was enclosed without being opaque, peaceful without being secluded. It was both safe and outdoors. And of course, Marinette mused, close to her home just in case something did happen.

"To think this was Ladybug's idea," Alya said to Marinette. "I thought the kids would have gotten sick of this park, but look at them."

Marinette followed Alya's suggestion as the latter pulled out her phone and began another livestream. The youngsters licked their ice cream, but despite their chilled tongues, their eyes were fixed on Miss Bouclier, rapt and unblinking. The old woman had nearly finished her ice cream cone.

"So children," Miss Bouclier asked, "have you decided how you would like to finish the story of Medusa and Perseus?"

Manon, Ella, and Etta nodded in agreement, and the three of them stepped to the front of group of children.

"Perseus used his Lucky Charm to beat Medusa and break the object holding the akuma," Etta began.

"And then he purified the akuma," Ella continued, "and turned Medusa back into a beautiful maiden."

"Then two of them fought side from that point," Manon finished, "as heroes! Miraculous Perseus!"

Miss Bouclier brought her wrinkled hands together and apart in a series of claps that Alya and Marinette recreated, and soon the kids were also clapping.

"You've given this story a new ending," Miss Bouclier said to the children. "Thank you."

In return, Etta, Ella, Manon, and several other children wrapped their arms around her. She exhaled with happiness as their sticky, warm hands pressed over her skirt. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world for Miss Bouclier.

"See," Alya said into her phone as she switched it to selfie mode. "Even a villain can become a hero. This victory is thanks to all the followers of the Ladyblog, for all your information you dug up and your support." Alya pointed at her phone. "Ladybug showed us that you, too, can be heroes, even if you don't have superpowers."

Alya took a glance at Marinette, who was out of the range of the camera, and began to read aloud the comments that popped up.

"'Speak for yourself. Some of us do have superpowers,' VillaNessie writes." Alya covered her chest with her first. "Ouch. Put a stake through my heart cause she slayed me. Savage." Alya took a breath before reading the next comment.

"Mysterious1412Face answers," Alya read, "'I wish I had powers, but it must have skipped a generation.'" Alya chuckled at the joke. At least he wasn't talking about Rena Rouge any more. "You do have a superpower. You help keep this blog running!

"Steel Maiden says, 'I wish I had powers, too.'

"Ghoulmandise says, 'I've got all you beat. I have powers and a mask.' Are you trying to say you're Ladybug?" Alya chuckled and laughing yellow faces covered her visage on the screen.

"I guess it's official," Alya announced over the hearts and emojis. "Our next contest is going to be 'Hero Up!' Design your own superheroes. More details will be coming up on the blog, And remember, stay connected!"

Alya tapped her screen, closing out the broadcast, and Marinette thought to herself the day wasn't too warm after all.


End file.
